Gaur

Gaur (gour) [key], ruined city, West Bengal state, India. Known also as Lakhnauti, the city was an ancient Hindu capital of Bengal. It was captured (c.1200) by the Islamic rulers of Delhi and remained a center of their culture until its abandonment in the late 16th cent. In 1537–38 Gaur was besieged and burnt by the Afghan ruler Sher Khan. The Kadam Rasul Mosque (1530), erected over relics supposedly belonging to Muhammad, is still a place of worship. The best-preserved structures are the Bara Sona Masjid and the finely carved Golden Mosque.